What the WHAT?!

Have you ever had one of those days or weeks where things just seem to be going wrong? You might even begin to rethink your religion and start thinking back on your life.

Karma?

Are you real?

Fortunately for me I know it's not. Certainly, with the list of things I've done in my "previous" life, I would be...well...dead.

But it truly has been one of those days, weeks, ...actually months for me. It seems like every turn I take is a backward slide. It really is a bunch of silliness and the overall big picture is just a big joke with friends asking if I'm making this stuff up.

I promise. I'm not. And actually I want to laugh out loud thinking about it.  I really do!

Here's what happened today.

The good:

• Drs. appointment for a followup on my injury. I'm right on target and ready for physical therapy
• Got an exercise I can do three times a day at home to keep my back muscles loose.
• Received my referral for PT and set up six appointments
• Was told the massage therapy I was receiving is a good thing and to keep it up
• Received a referral to another doctor specializing in injuries because MY doctor uses him and really admires the physician
• Received a referral to another doctor to get specific answers on an area of health I'm concerned with.

I left the doctor's office and physical therapy practice feeling like I was on the right path to continued healing. I was feeling...FANTASTICO!

And then the series that led to the bad:

Parking lot.

Phone call to husband, telling him how the appointment went.

Speaker, phone on my lap.

Pull away from INOVA Fair Oaks Hospital.

Waiting at red light.

Boom. BOOM!

Head bangs, scream.

What the WHAT?!!

Ummmm...I was just in a car accident where the driver behind me was sandwiched by my vehicle and the driver who hit him at full speed. The impact was strong enough to jolt me in my seat and make the van jump forward. Luckily, I had enough space in front that I did not hit the car ahead of me.

I was actually surprised to see how little damage my vehicle had sustained. I mean...little. Thankfully everyone was alright. I've had a few side effects that haven't been pleasant but that is only because I'm already a walking mess of bumps and bruises.  I know I will be fine. 

But the moment that pleased me most was when the initial "What the WHAT?!" wore off and I was alone in the van. I started to laugh. I actually couldn't stop laughing. That poor kid, of ALL the people he could have hit, the chain reaction he caused hit ME - the woman who JUST left the physical therapy office because of an injury two months ago. ME - the woman who just doesn't seem to be getting a break and is falling or tripping or sneezing or breathing!

Yes, me. This woman.

At the same time I began to realize how thankful I was that the young man on his cell phone had hit me. Like I told him and the other gentleman AND the insurance company, I am an honest woman and have no desire to claim my injuries are the fault of any driver. I saw that man's face and how upset he was. Yes, he was in the wrong. No, he shouldn't have been fumbling on his cell phone and YES, he should have seen stopped traffic in front of him. But, even though I did follow procedure and answer all the adjuster's questions, I knew what that young man needed more than anything at that moment was grace.  I told him I was fine and to stay off that cell phone and pay attention to the road. Next time he may not be so lucky.

Because you see, karma isn't real.  Often times things just happen and other times we have to accept the consequence of our actions or inaction.  For me today served as a funny reminder of something very real.  I usually go about my day or plan my week by saying, "I'll do this...or that" when I know full well that I have NO IDEA of when my time is up on this side of eternity.

My job, aside from being a wife and mother, is to love and extend grace whenever possible to those I come in contact with.  Even when things may seem to come out of nowhere and I say "what the WHAT?!", I have every opportunity to be salt and light just as Jesus said. I don't know what will come out of the conversations I had today. All I know is that they all were able to laugh and enjoy my take on the whole event.  It's not up to me what each of them do or even if they will remember the things I said.

So the next time you find yourself in a situation where your normal human reaction COULD be anger or disappointment or frustration with another human being, try to extend the grace we all desperately need so much and let them know God is good. 

You never know. You just may get a "what the WHAT?!" from them.

Blessings for your day,

Labels lie...

Join the movement - People of the Second Chance

I believe in the miracle of grace,

Everything is just peachy

Mmmmmm...can't wait!

Memorial Day

...

IT IS THE SOLDIER

It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,

And whose coffin is draped by the flag,

Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

©Copyright 1970, 2005 by Charles M. Province

It is with a grateful heart that I thank all those who have served. As a daughter of an immigrant family, I know my family's struggles for freedom and a better life were not in vain because of the sacrifice of many. Those servicemen and women gave up their tomorrows so we could have our todays.

Thank you.

We had to say "Goodbye"

Wasps have been circling around our milkweed for a few days and our girl was very worried about the baby caterpillars.  We know that they are a favorite food for these insectivores.  We also knew we were leaving for the beach in a few days and there was no way we would be able to care for the babies while gone.

There is no such thing as a "Caterpillar Sitting Service".

Cats and dogs, yes. But baby Monarchs?

No.

So we decided that nature would have to run its course with these little ones and we hoped and prayed all would turn out well.

Yesterday afternoon the caterpillars went missing. This morning we double checked the plants and sure enough we found evidence of their capture. The girl and I looked at each other with a sadness but acceptance.

We had to say goodbye.

Flat Stanley's Letter

Dear Matthew,

In April you sent me to California to meet up with your cousin Rachel.  I couldn’t tell you when you put me in the mail, but I had a mission that was SO secret I didn’t have permission to let you know who was picking me up at the Post Office.  I received a lot of training when I arrived – SUPER secret agent training!

At first I was put in a scanner to learn how to travel through email.  It was AMAZING!

Then I received special training to discover fun places and to make sure people knew how to enjoy themselves.  Probably the most important training I received was how to wear a disguise.  I needed to keep myself secret sometimes. It was part of the job!

After a long three weeks of exercise, eating good food, studying, and tests, I was ready to meet up with Rachel before she scanned and sent me to my next location.

We went to the beach…and it looked like a great place for fun.

We checked out the signs and made sure people could find the fun.

We visited a Fire Department to make sure they were ready for any emergencies.

Next we went to a Farmer’s Market to taste some good food.  I loved the blue skies, the warm weather, the people and the tall Palm trees!

YUMMY! My training told me these were good and my belly agreed!

    

It was a good trip to California and then I was off to North Carolina to see their beach! I was placed in an email and off I went!  The only difference when I first arrived was that Carolina Beach was getting ready for the tourists to arrive for Memorial Day weekend.  I was told I had to keep secret because the Mayor said the people would get too excited if they knew a secret agent was taking pictures. 


I understood. 


So I put on my Captain America disguise…

…and saw lots of fun places!

YAY!

My training didn’t prepare me for how delicious these donuts would be. It was really difficult to wait in line but they were so good!

Once I checked that all the signs and life guard stands were ready for all the people coming to the beach for fun, my job was done.

Can you see my shadow? Shhhhhh…..

Once I arrived in the Washington, DC area I went to a National’s baseball game!

The GEICO Gecko was also at the game. I went to shake his hand and he tried to eat me. That’s when I realized this was not the GEICO Gecko I see on TV.  I used my special training to plan my escape.  It was risky but I got away!

It’s a good thing I was able to get out of that gecko’s mouth unharmed because I still had quite a bit of fun checking to do!  The very next day I arrived here:

…to go sailing!

You’ll be happy to know that YES it was so much FUN!

All this checking for fun around water reminded me I should also probably check swimmers were getting ready. I went to a swim class and was happy to see they had done a great job! We even took a picture together.

That night, I remembered my training taught me how important a good night’s rest is to keep doing all sorts of fun things. So I went to bed and got some good sleep. The next day I met up with a friend I that I made while training in California.

We went to a Hockey game! I was taking pictures and making sure everyone was having a good time. I know I was and so was my friend!

After celebrating a win at the Hockey game, I knew I wanted to visit with a friend who was also happy about something she had just finished winning. Since I wanted to do something nice with her, I got a dog walking job for a day to earn a little extra money.

Since the dog I had to walk loved carrying something in her mouth, I hid in a newspaper bag and talked to her the whole way. She was very gentle.

 With the money I made, I went to Starbuck’s to meet up with my friend.

She had been very sick but she just came back from the doctor and was so happy that she was healthy again.  We were celebrating the good news and she let me try on one of her wigs.

She said I could keep it to add to my collection of super secret agent disguises since she wouldn’t need it anymore.  I thought it was too big but I said thank you and gave her a big hug because I was so happy!

That is the end of my trip visiting fun places and fun people by myself. While you were at school, I went into your strawberry patch to pick some berries and am keeping an eye on the milkweed plants for more Monarch caterpillars.

The wasps are proving to be a little scary but I’m ok.  I have my secret agent friends with me. Did you know when you get into a scanner, you can multiply yourself? 

Thank you for sending me to California. It was a great adventure in learning about scanners, emails, text messages, and time travel.  I had a lot of fun making sure people had things to do in so many different places on the West Coast and East Coast but I can’t wait to spend the rest of my time with you.  You are a pretty awesome scooter rider and really good friend!

Sincerely,

Flat Stanley


....






Blessings for your day, 

Mission Impossible!

Ok, not so impossible but it has taken the help of some moms to find FLAT STANLEY! Not to mention scans, faxes, a newspaper, a dog, text messages, emails, wig, and other under cover "Stanleys"

Dun, dun, dun!

He was kidnapped in the mail, or so we thought.  We have since discovered that Flat Stanley has been on a secret mission and this mom's stress was an unfortunate civilian casualty.

Dun, dun, dun!

Here he is via a scan to a computer and thanks to a world of technology with some pretty savvy friends of mine, we are finishing up this project in just under four days. I will be posting the finished story here tomorrow. I hope it's as fun as it is in my head!

Now this mom needs to sign off to get this project DONE, DONE, DONE!

Welcome to the modern age Flat Stanley!

Hold on to Truth

Just when I feel like letting go...

(photo courtesy - People of the Second Chance)

...He holds me a little tighter.

Sisters

I would have posted long before now but I've been busy watching one of my favorite shows with my sissy.

It's the season finale and it's a tradition for us to spend it together. Although the two hours took a toll on my tail bone and back, the best part of tonight? When I got to lay my head on her lap and she braided my hair.

Gotta love the special bond of sisters.

Congratulations Donald and Peta!!

The TV...too bad you can't see our feet on the ottoman!

Better than caffeine

I don't drink coffee. I don't like the stuff. But many of my friends do and when you're in a battle to keep from feeling the depression of isolation grab a hold of you and threaten to drown you, you might need to get some air.

And a Chai Tea latte with a friend.

My "tail" may be expanding as I consume these sugary calorie packed drinks, but not only is my tailbone mending, my heart and spirit are also healing.

Thank you to my dear sweet friends. You are better than caffeine any day.


Feeling very blessed,

Ring of Fire

It's been a busy day but nothing has excited me more than knowing the annual solar eclipse takes place today.  Unfortunately, we can't see it here in Virginia BUT it is visible in California AND I can watch it with a live feed.

Actually at the time of this posting, I'm listening to astronomer Scotty Degenhart broadcast from area 51 in Nevada. He is so funny in a "nerdy" kind of way and I love it.

My favorite part was when he told his viewers that he was going to put on a Hydrogen-Alpha Filter on the camera so we could all get a better view. I couldn't tell who was more excited, me or Scotty. The fun part was that it WORKED! Viewers like me could see the solar flares. My daughter was also in the room and thought it pretty neat-O. She asked a lot of questions. I love that!

Ultimately, those lucky enough to be in the right place with the right equipment will get to see the Ring of Fire Eclipse and experience the changing sensations around them. For the rest of us, a picture will have to do. Isn't she beautiful?

Courtesy of Space.com

Good job Scotty. I found your sweet "nerdy" commentary perfect...because I would have done the exact same thing and I thank you!

Thank you also to Space.com because you always have great, accurate information and I can always find what I need quickly and easily.

Everyone should check them out every once in a while. Totally rocks!


Blessings for your day,